Seance
by Dakota-Jones
Summary: When the newsies hold a seance in the lodging house, they think it's all in good fun. What will happen when they awaken a poltergeist that has a score to settle, and will stop it nothing to get it's revenge? And who is it REALLY after? Completed
1. I'm Sorry

AN: New fic! I think this one is gonna be my most suspenseful yet…

Summary: When the newsies decide to have some fun and hold a séance in the lodging house, will it take a deadly turn when they unleash a poltergeist that has a score to settle and will stop at nothing to do so? And who is it _really_ after? 

Mush

            It was in the middle of the night, I'd had a lousy day of selling, and now I was lying in bed with my eyes wide open because I never could sleep when it stormed. Things couldn't possibly get any worse.

            "Hey Mush…you still awake?"

            I didn't even bother to look- I knew it was Blink. But at the same time, I was confused. He never had trouble sleeping during storms. He slept like a log.

            "Yeah, I's awake." I muttered.

            He sighed and I heard him roll over. I looked over at him as he propped himself up on his elbow and watched me, studying me carefully.

            "Dude, what's your problem?" I snapped, my nerves frayed as the thunder outside only intensified.

            "I can't sleep."

            "Yes you can."

            "Oh, really?" He laughed quietly and sat up. "And what makes you so sure?"

            "Because Specs had ta roll you out of bed this morning ta wake you up."

            Jack's voice suddenly interrupted before Blink could respond. "Would you two bums shut up? Some of us are actually _trying_ to sleep, at least."

            _Thud!_

I sighed at the loud sound that rang through the room, knowing what it was without even looking. Being a volatile, violent sleeper, Snitch had once again thrown himself out of bed, taking Itey with him to the hard floor. 

            This, of course, woke up the lighter sleepers in the room- Dutchy, Swifty, and Racetrack. And in the usual lodging house chain reaction of people bitching and other people telling them to shut up, soon everyone was awake.

            Jack finally gave up and flipped on the lights- the only person still asleep was Skittery, but he sleeps through _anything_. And I mean anything. We've held a drunken rave in the bunkroom before, and he slept right through it. Even when Dutchy got thrown into the bunk with him, he just mumbled something about stupid drunk blondes and went right back to sleep.

            "I've got an idea!" Jack suddenly said, a bright smile on his face. I groaned and rolled my eyes, as did many of the other guys.

            "Your last idea left us all broke _and_ got us on Spot's bad side." Snitch muttered, flopping back onto his bed.

            "Nah, dis one's harmless. I promise. We'll have a séance."

            Racetrack raised an eyebrow. "A say-what?"

            "A séance. Ya know, talk to the dead and all."

            Specs sighed deeply. "Dat ain't real, Jack, and you know it."

            "Then no harm done, right? Come on…let's try it. Just once."

            "Okay. I'm game." Jake said, jumping down off his bunk and stretching. "I ain't gettin' any sleep anyways."

            We really didn't know what we were getting into. Honestly. We were just a bunch of adolescent guys who couldn't sleep, and doing something as insane as trying to talk to the dead sounded like something that could keep us entertained. Keep us laughing, at least.

            In just under a couple of minutes, Jack's charisma had gotten all of us sitting in a circle on the floor, and we took a couple of candles out of the bathroom and lit them. What they were for, I wasn't sure, and Jack didn't know either. He said that was 'just the way it had to be'.

            I looked at Skittery's bunk, not able to see him but envying the fact that he could sleep through this and no one dared incur his wrath by waking him. He is not a pleasant person in the middle of the night. He's not usually a pleasant person in general.

            So now the lights were all out, there were two candles in the middle of the circle, and giggles of sheer exhaustion could be heard. A few of the guys looked a little scared in the dim light, but those were mostly the ones that were scared of storms, not ghosts.

            Cause Specs, being the avid bookworm, had made it absolutely clear that there's no such thing as ghosts.

            "Okay…everybody relax. And nobody talk." Jack ordered, though how he expected to shut everyone up, I wasn't sure. Whispers could still be heard around the circle. Jack continued, ignoring the obvious offenders. "Everyone hold hands."

            "Do we have to?" Snipeshooter asked, his whiny voice recognizable even in the dark.

            "Shut up and do it, Snipe."

            I grabbed Blink's hand on one side of me and Pie Eater's hand on the other, wondering how long this would take. It may have been storming, but I should've at least been trying to sleep. We had papers to sell in the morning. 

            Yeah, I know. I'm supposed to be the optimistic, upbeat newsie. But not at midnight and running on empty as far as energy goes. And personally, I didn't care about whatever dead people might be hanging out in the lodging house. They didn't eat much anyway.

            Jack began to talk, and I wondered where in the world he got this stupid idea anyway. 

            "Everyone concentrate on openin' your mind. Try ta make yourself aware of everything, and clear your mind."

            That would be harder for some than for others. Some people's minds were already empty.

            "I would like ta ask any spirits ta make themselves known at dis time. Is dere anyone who would like ta speak with us?"

            Complete silence. Nothing but a flash of lightening.

            Jack continued, unperturbed. "Is dere anyone here who wants ta communicate with us? Give us a sign."

            A clap of thunder, and then one of the candles went out in a breeze from the cracked-open window. I shivered, wondering what exactly was supposed to happen.

            "Give us a sign. Speak to us." Jack said once again, and quite suddenly, the window slipped and slammed down. That was pretty much normal. It did that when the rain slicked the window. Then the other candle went out, and the room was thrown into darkness.

            "_I was betrayed._"  

            My head snapped up at the haunting voice, the strangled hiss that I almost didn't even understand. And then I realized that it was Skittery's voice. But it wasn't. The trademark New York accent was gone, completely wiped clean.

            "Someone turn on da lights!" Boots said, but Jack shouted in protest.

            Race snorted. "Come on, Jack. Dis ain't funny. You've got Skitts in on dis."

            Jack sounded like a kid in a penny store filled with candy. "No! No! Da spirit is channeling through him! We've gotta stick with it!"

            There were various protests, but Jack silenced them, and continued on his crusade in the pitch dark.

            "How was you betrayed? What's your name?"

            "He betrayed me. I won't take it."

            The voice had an accent, just not New York. I couldn't tell exactly what. It was Skittery's voice, sure, but he sounded…strange. I didn't know how to explain it.

            "I don't understand. Who betrayed ya?" Jack said, urging the 'spirit' on. Some of the younger kids were getting nervous now, but us older ones could see that this was all an elaborate joke that Skittery and Jack had planned. Sure, Skittery didn't like Jack that well, but that was the only reason this would happen.

            "Ik begrijp het niet. Het spijt me. Het spijt me!"

            "Oh my God. He's speakin' Dutch!" Dutchy suddenly said, and that's when _I_ started getting nervous. See…Skittery doesn't know Dutch.

            "What did he say?" Jack asked, getting more excited by the second.

            Dutchy took a moment to respond. "He said something about 'not understanding'. And he kept saying he was sorry."

            "Jack, Skittery, this really isn't funny. Cut it out." Blink said, his voice strained and his hand still holding tightly to mine.

             "Alsjeblieff, nee! Alsjeblieff!" Skittery cried out, his voice rising in pitch. He sounded absolutely terrified. I could share that sentiment- I was now scared to death.

            "Guys, stop it!" Race yelled at Jack and Skittery.

            "I can't! We didn't plan dis!" Jack shouted back, and I let go of Blink and Pie's hands and ran for the light. Skittery was screaming again, and when I flipped on the light, Blink and I made a beeline for his bunk. I jumped up to his bunk, where he was shaking horribly and covered in sweat. Dutch words still spilled from his mouth in whispered pleas, and the other guys waited nervously while I tried to wake him up.

            "Skittery, come on. Snap out of it." I begged, grabbed him by the shoulders. No response, except a clear phrase finally came out of his mouth.

            "Het is te laat. Het…is te laat."

            Skittery suddenly feel limp, and I knew he was sleeping again. Just like normal. His breathing had already returned to an even, relaxed pattern.

            "Dutchy…what did he say?" I asked quietly as I slipped off his bunk.

            Dutchy was pale, even more than usual. And that's saying a lot.

            "He said…he said 'it's too late'."

AN: Yay. That was fun. But in the next chapter, it gets even better. Trust me…you'll see.


	2. My Beloved

AN: Chapter two. I know in my profile it said I wouldn't be updating this until after I was finished with Big Brother Newsies Style, but I can't sleep, so I figured I may as well listen to my Impatient!Specs muse and write up this next chapter. Besides, I'm gonna scare you guys out of you socks in this chapter…

Dutchy

            No one slept that night, except for Skittery, who didn't even seem awake while speaking. So when Kloppman came to 'wake us up', there were more groans than usual.

            I walked to the mirror, and a freezing cold breeze suddenly seemed to envelope me, even though the morning air was already heating up. I shivered and walked to the sink, splashing my face with cold water. I just needed to wake up.

            I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder and I spun around, but none of the guys were close to me. They were all shaving or showering, not paying any attention whatsoever to me. I just shrugged it off; Specs always said I had an overactive imagination.

            On the way to the distribution office, I caught up with Skittery.

            "Hey Skittery…do you know Dutch?"

            He gave me an incredulous look. "No…why are you askin'?"

            I shrugged. "Just wondering."

            All of a sudden, a wave of nausea hit me like a runaway carriage. I doubled over and dropped to my knees, and within a few seconds, Specs and Skittery were kneeled beside me.

            "You okay, Dutchy?"

            I clutched my head as a sudden headache began to pound my skull. I'd never had something like this come on so suddenly- it was like a hammer beating on my head, along with a case of the flu.

            I suddenly felt myself being lifted, and the sudden movement was enough to send me spiraling into darkness.

Specs

            We got back to the lodging house, and I told Skittery to go sell. Dutchy couldn't be unconscious for long, and I had more extra money than Skittery anyway. I'd survive missing a day.

            I was sitting on my bunk, reading a book, when I suddenly got a chill. In the middle of July, I got a chill. That was plain weird.

            "Specs…"

            I barely heard the whispered word, but it caught my attention, just the same. I immediately looked toward Dutchy's bed, but he was still as unconscious as he had been before.

            "Specs…come help me…"

            Okay, I definitely heard it that time, no mistake. There was definitely a female somewhere around here. I got up from my bunk and looked around, shivering as another cold breeze ran through the room.

            "Hello? Is anyone there?" I asked timidly, feeling pretty stupid talking to an empty room. I suddenly heard a clatter from the washroom, and I walked slowly toward the closed door.

            Wait a second. We never closed that door…otherwise, it would be a sauna in there when we got back. 

            We didn't close that door.

            "Who's there?" I asked, louder this time as I stood in front of the door.

            "Come help me…I need you…"

            The voice was as soft as the wind, almost undistinguishable amid the sounds from outside. But it was definitely coming from behind that door. All I had to do was open it.

            My heart was beating in my throat as I reached for the doorknob, surprised at how cold the brass fixture was. I gently pushed forward, and the door easily swung open.

            Nothing. Just the washroom.

            "Is anyone in here?" I asked, cautiously taking a step into the room. Then, the sound of heavy breathing invaded the silence. From in front of me. From just behind the stalls. I took one more step inside, and then I shot a look in one of the mirrors.

Big mistake.

Standing behind me in the reflection was a woman- a woman with stringy, thin blond hair and blue eyes that seemed cold as ice. Her skin was as pale as a sheet of paper, and the circles under her eyes were so dark that it gave her the appearance of being simply skeletal- nothing more than a shadow. 

And then the door slammed shut.

            I spun around and tried to open it, but no luck. It was stuck. On top of that, the woman was gone. Vanished into thin air.

            "Dutchy! Dutchy, he-"

            I was suddenly cut off by a hand over my mouth- a hand so cold that for a moment, I couldn't struggle. 

Then, I heard the voice. This time, she was speaking right into my ear, her breath like a blizzard's wind on my neck.

"M'n beminde…Ik geliefde je. Het spijt me…komen feruggaan mij. Alsjeblieff." She said, and then the door swung open and I fell over backwards, the coldness gone and the chilling voice no longer afflicting me.

            "Specs! Are you alright?" Dutchy asked, kneeling next to me on the floor. I shook my head fiercely, getting shakily to my feet and stumbling out into the bunkroom. I collapsed on the floor in the bunkroom, where Dutchy was instantly at my side, his arm slung around my shoulders.

            "Specs, calm down. Calm down." He said over and over, and slowly, I let myself do just that. I couldn't stop shaking, and I kept seeing _her_, no matter what else I tried to think of. 

            That look. Forlorn, murderous, lost, hopeless…and downright terrifying. 

            "Dutchy…she was saying stuff…in Dutch." I managed to choke out.

            "Who was?"

            "The…the ghost."

            I expected him to ridicule me. But instead, he said, "What did she say?"

            I thought back. "I can't remember much. Um…beminde. She said that. Geliefde…and something that sounded like feruggaan. Some of it was the same that Skitts said last night."

            Dutchy thought for a moment. "She said…she called you her beloved. She said she loved you. And feruggaan means 'to return', so she probably was asking you to come back to her." Dutchy looked down at me, confusing tracing his features. "Are you understanding any of this?"

            "No. I don't get it. I don't understand." I said, shaking my head. She called me her 'beloved'? And she 'loved me'? I didn't even know who she was!

            Dutchy walked back to inspect the washroom, despite my protests. The door didn't shut, and he didn't find a thing. Nor did he hear any voices. Maybe I was going insane.

            I didn't want to believe it. All logic pointed the other way. After all, there was no such thing as ghosts.

            But if there wasn't, how in the world did I just see one?

            Dutchy claimed he felt much better, and he claimed that he'd just had a dizzy spell. I didn't believe him, but he appeared to be fine, and I really wanted out of the lodging house at that moment.

            But as we walked out, Kloppman was standing at the bottom of the stairs. He was watching the landing at the top, as if expecting someone to walk out. We passed by him and walked out, not a single word of farewell passing between us.

            He didn't say goodbye. He simply watched the bunkroom door.

            It was almost as if…he knew.

AN: That was a very fun chapter. It gave me chills just writing it. I hope I gave you guys chills- if so, I achieved my goal! 

So many mysteries…the woman calls Specs her 'beloved'…and then we have Creepy!Kloppman…I'm evil. I know it.


	3. Hell, No!

AN: Ack! I'm putting up _another_ chapter before Big Brother Newsies Style ends! I must have _way_ too much free time…but that's okay! I lurve you guys anyway…Yes. Lurve.^__^

In answer to the slash question, in my suspense fics, I usually use you-decide-if-it's-slash. That way, I don't cut out on any readers' enjoyment (remaining neutral, that is), and it really could go either way. But, if you want my _opinion_…well, look at Big Brother Newsies Stlye. Hey, and who knows…I think this story has great promise with Specs/Dutchy. Just maybe. We'll have to wait and see. 

Mush

We got back that evening after selling, and surprisingly, Kloppman wasn't waiting at the counter to make sure we signed in and paid. Instead, he was sitting back in the office, a stack of papers in front of him. They looked like letters, but I couldn't be sure.

Even more interesting was when Specs and Dutchy came in for the night. They stood outside for about fifteen minutes and appeared to be arguing- something they never did- until Dutchy finally dragged a reluctant Specs through the door. Specs was acting more like Skittery- nervous, jumpy, even irritable. And when Kloppman saw him come in, he seemed to concentrate all the more on those letters.

"Somethin' weird is goin' on." I said to Blink in a hushed whisper. He just nodded, watching as Specs sat down against a wall and watched the poker game with disinterest.

"Ever since dat stupid séance…" Blink muttered. "I should soak Jack for dat."

"At least Skittery's been sleepin' well." I said with a shrug. Skittery didn't seem to change at all. It was just that Dutch speaking episode, and then nothing. Or so it seemed, anyway.

But that didn't last.

"Skitts, are you payin' attention? Do ya call or raise?" I heard Race say over the din. 

"_Houd__ je rots moel!_"  

Everyone fell silent. Because Skittery looked really pissed at Race, and he had just spoken in Dutch.

"Dutchy…what did he say to me?" Race asked.

"He told you to shut the hell up." Dutchy whispered as Skittery looked down at the table, his hands shaking and his eyes closed tightly. 

After a few moments he looked up again, straight at Dutchy. They had a short conversation in Dutch, while we all watched in shock. Kloppman had come out of the office and was now watching in fear, his arms clamped tightly around himself.

Skittery suddenly got up, speaking as he did so. "Hoeran jong!"

Dutchy hastily translated that as 'son of a bitch' to us, and we all held our breath as Skittery made his way over to Specs. Specs stood and started for the door, but Skittery grabbed his arm and held him back. We all waited, interested as to where this was going. We were sure this had to be one of Skittery's pranks or something. It couldn't be real.

"Mooi…m'n beminde." He began, and Dutchy's face gave away his confusion as he translated to us.

"He just called Specs beautiful. His beloved."

Skittery continued, unphased by Specs' obvious terror. "Ik begrijp het niet…Ik geliefde je."

"He says he doesn't understand…he loved you." Dutchy said, his voice rising in pitch by the second. Specs tried to pull away from his captor, but it was no use. And we were all too scared to move.

"Komen feruggaan mij. Alsjeblieff."

"Come back to me. Please."

Then, quite suddenly, Skittery kissed him. No hesitation, nothing. He just leaned forward and kissed him.

This certainly got a reaction from us. Blink and I leaped forward and pulled Skittery off of him, but Skittery suddenly went limp in our arms. He was unconscious. Specs fell back against the wall, raising a trembling hand to his lips. Dutchy ran over to him, holding him up and gently leading him outside to sit down on the stairs. 

I looked at Blink, knowing we were both thinking the same thing.

What the hell just happened?

Dutchy

            Specs was absolutely terrified, even though he was out of the lodging house. He kept looking nervously back at the door, as if expecting Skittery to come back for him, still possessed.

            "He was so cold, Dutchy…like her…" he said, his voice weak.

            "I think it _was_ her. She's using him ta get to you."

            "But why _me_?"  

            "I…I don't know."

            The sound of the door opening behind us made Specs jump, but it was just Kloppman.

            "Are you okay, Specs?" he asked, and Specs nodded.

            "Do you know anything about dis?" I asked Kloppman, and he hesitated and then shook his head.

            "I don't. I'm sorry."

            With that, he left. And I knew he was lying. I could tell just by the look on his face that he was lying. I heard him yelling to everyone inside that it was time for lights out, time to get some sleep.

            "I'll take you ta David's house. Dey'll let ya stay there." I said, helping Specs to his feet. 

            "No…I don't wanna be alone." He insisted. I just laughed. 

            "David will be there."

            "No. I don't need David. I need _you_." He said forcefully, and I was taken aback. "Please, Dutchy? You're the only one…who understands."

            "Sure, Specs."

Blink

            Somehow, I got to sleep. I don't know how- many of us couldn't sleep after all that. But I guess since I hadn't been directly involved in all the mayhem, it was easier to think I would stay uninvolved.

            I was wrong if I thought that.

            I woke up to my sheet being tugged down off my body, and thinking it was just the wind, I pulled it back up, rolling over and drifting off again. Then it happened again, and this time, I opened my eyes. And I immediately wished I hadn't.

            On the foot of my bed sat a girl. Maybe a woman- it was hard to tell in the dark. Her eyes were piercing and her skin a pale white, with a skeletal appearance and thin, greasy looking blond hair that hung like a shroud around her face. She smiled, and what teeth she had left smeared in blood.

            "Heee, Lekker ding..." She hissed, and that's when I found my voice. And believe me, when I screamed, it could've woken _all_ the dead, not just that one.

            I tried to get away, ending up tangling my feet in my sheet and tumbling off the top bunk to land with a loud thud between Race's and Snipeshooter's. They were both awake- well, everyone was awake by now- and they helped me to my feet and I made a run for the washroom. I promptly threw up, the image of that disgusting…creature…still fresh in my mind.

            "Blink, what's wrong? What happened?" Mush asked.

            "It was a dead person! I swear, Mush, I swear on my right eye she was dead!" I shrieked, putting my face in my hands and trying to block the picture from memory. But I didn't want to block what she'd said. I needed to remember that, to ask Dutchy.

            "Where's Dutchy?" I demanded before he could say any more, and he pointed out into the bunkroom. I ran up to Dutchy, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him as I spoke, even though I didn't mean to.

            "She was talkin' ta me in Dutch! At least…I think it was Dutch!" I said, and he pushed my hands off his shoulders.

            "What did she say?" he asked. By now, everyone was listening.

            "She said…heee, lekker ding. Somethin' like dat."

            Dutchy gave me a skeptical look. "Are you sure?"

            "Yes, I's sure! Believe me, I remembah! What does it mean?"

            "It means, 'Hey sexy'."

            I could feel the blood draining from my face. "Are _you_ sure?"

            "Well, I am Dutch, you know."

            "Hell, no! Hell, no!" I said over and over, pacing the bunkroom. First Specs, now me?

            Mush grabbed me and stopped my frantic pacing, and I just kept shaking my head. There was no way. I was _not_ getting called 'sexy' by some dead ghost chick! 

            "What do we do?" Race asked, for the first time seeming actually concerned.

            No one had an answer. What _could_ we do?

AN: I love my GoingInsane!Blink. He's very fun. And he has good lines. Yesh, I luvvles him a whole lot. And in the next chapter, more mysteries are solved, more mysteries arise to take their place, and the stakes are raised…


	4. I kissed Specs!

AN: Chapter four! Weee, I'm on a roll here! 

Snitch

            Skittery still hadn't awakened, and it was beginning to worry us. In fact, everything was worrying us right now. It seemed that Specs had a dead Dutch girlfriend whom he'd never met who was still obsessed with him that enjoyed trying to use Blink as her boy-toy. Things were getting very confusing very fast.

            "Kloppman knows somethin'." Dutchy said, his arm still set firmly around Specs' shoulders. It seemed to have been super-glued there ever since this ordeal started. I was sitting on the edge of Skittery's bunk, taking it upon myself to alert the others if he woke up. I wished I had the guts to comfort Skittery as openly as Dutchy comforted Specs…but I might get my arm bit off. 

            "I'll go get him." Jack said. He was the only one with enough…well, authority to wake Kloppman up this late. We basically were silent while he was gone, except for a whispered conversation between Mush and Blink.

            Jack walked back in, followed closely by a very sleepy, very angry looking Kloppman. At first, he claimed he had no idea what we were talking about, but eventually he gave in.

            "Her name was Hendrike…but I just called her Rika. It was my pet name for her."

            Race leaned forward. "Who _was_ she?"

            Kloppman sighed. "She was a prostitute. She was also my daughter."

            Complete, dead silence. Then Jack just lost it.

            "You had a _daughter_? Who was a _prostitute_?"

            "And what does dis have to do with me and Blink?" Specs blurted.

            Dutchy looked more confused than anyone. "And how does she know Dutch? You's not Dutch!"

            "Hold on, hold on! One at a time!" Kloppman said forcefully, sitting down on the end of a bunk. "Her mother was Dutch, and she taught it to Rika before her death. And Specs…you just happen to be he one she chose as her Tanner."

            "Tanner?" I asked gently.

            "Tanner was a client of Rika's for a while. Then…Rika admitted that she loved him. She wanted a steady relationship, maybe marriage, but she was having trouble giving up prostitution. Tanner couldn't deal with it, and he dumped her."

            "I'm not seeing where dis is goin'." Blink said.

            "That's not all. She became obsessed…following him around, showing up at the lodging house at all hours of the night…eventually threatening and attacking any girls he dated. And one night, she tried to kill him." Kloppman took a deep breath, and then continued. "Tanner got away with only a few scratches, but he split town soon after that. And a few days later, Rika slit her wrists in the lodging house washroom."

            Another silence followed. He was allowing all this to sink in.

            "And…so now…she thinks Specs is Tanner? And she just likes Blink for his looks?" Mush asked, and Kloppman nodded.

            "If she found a good looking guy, she wouldn't hesitate in getting him into bed. That was just the way Rika was. And if she was denied what she wanted…let's just say she had one hell of a temper."

            "And what does Skittery have ta do with all dis? Why is she using _him_?" I asked.

            "I honestly don't know about that."

            "Wait a second…are you saying dat she's going to _kill me_?" Blink asked, finally getting it. But before Kloppman had a chance to answer, Skittery groaned and his eyes fluttered open.

            "Man…I don't even remember gettin' drunk…dat must've been some strong beer…" he muttered, and then he realized that everyone was awake and that I was sitting on his bed with him.

            "Um…what did I miss, guys?" he asked as I helped him sit up.

            "Ya mean…ya don't remember kissing Specs?" I asked him, and his mouth dropped open.

            "I _what_?! Was I really _dat_ drunk?"

            "I'm gonna ignore that comment…" Specs muttered.

            "Ya weren't drunk, Skitts." I said, and he looked at me in confusion.

            "Then why da hell don't I remember dis?"

            We explained the whole thing to him, from the séance (which Kloppman wasn't too happy about) all the way through what we found out tonight. At first he thought we were insane, but slowly he began to realize that we were telling the truth.

            "_I kissed Specs_?" he asked, obviously not having believed us the first time. He slowly turned to look at Specs and Dutchy. "Dutchy, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to move in on your boyfriend."

            "He's not my boyfriend!" Dutchy insisted, which was kind of a hypocritical statement, considering his arm was still around Specs. He noticed this and removed it quickly as we just laughed at him.

            "Come on, guys. Dis is hardly funny." Specs said. "Rika is out for blood, if you hadn't noticed. Mine and Blink's in particular."

            "What can we do, Kloppman?" Race asked.

            Kloppman looked around at our expectant faces, his own face looking much more weary and worn than usual. "I don't know. I don't know what she wants, really. She changed too much…I didn't even know her."

            "We need ta hold another séance." Jack suddenly said.

            "Oh, yeah…look where dat got us da first time!" Blink said.

            "Do ya have any better ideas? Maybe she'll lay off if we talk ta her!"

            And so we did the whole set up again. The two candles, the circle…even Kloppman joined in. Skittery sat between me and Dutchy, just in case he needed to be restrained and to have the translator close by. The process was begun again, and at first, we thought it wasn't going to work.

            Then, quite suddenly, Skittery's hand got ice cold in mine. I looked up at Dutchy, who obviously noticed the same thing.

            "You're all fools."

            It was that voice again, minus the New York accent. Skittery's hand tightened on mine and he began to tremble. I was surprised I wasn't hearing him speaking in Dutch again.

            "Why do you say dat?" Dutchy asked gently.

            "You think you can keep him from me, but you can't. He will die for me. He loves me."

            That sounded very strange, coming from Skittery. And somehow, deep inside, I was a bit jealous. No idea why- I mean, it was that girl talking. Not Skittery. _Just keep remembering that, and it won't matter…right?_

            "What's it going to take to make you give up this up, Rika?" Kloppman suddenly asked, his voice weak. But Skittery didn't reply. His hand was holding onto mine so tight that it was painful, and he was shaking now.

            I couldn't stand it any longer. "Skitts? Are you okay?" I asked, and I didn't get a response. I broke hands with the person on the other side of me and laid my other hand on Skittery's shoulder.

            "Skittery, look at me. Are you alright?"

            "Snitch…you've gotta…tie me up…" he suddenly begged, his voice actually cracking in mid-sentence.  

            "What? Why?"

            He suddenly lunged at Specs, and if Dutchy and I hadn't been right there, he would've been soaking the poor guy in half a second. Mush jumped in to help us wrestle him to the ground, and Jack ran to his bunk and got his rope belt, quickly using it to tie Skittery's hands behind his back _and_ to the leg of a bed. He wasn't going anywhere, that was for sure.

            "How will we know when she's gone?" Race asked, eyeing Skittery warily as he sat and sulked.

            "We can't know for sure. We just can't untie him until we can be certain."

            "Tying him up won't stop me." Skittery suddenly said. Or, should I say, Rika said it. She had finally referred to herself as separate from Skittery. "You boys should know that by now."

            A bunk abruptly slid across the floor and slammed into Dutchy, pinning him painfully between the bunk bed and the wall. He struggled to get out, but that bunk was solid oak- not easily moved. And before any of us could help him, we had problems of our own.

            For one thing, the temperature dropped about fifty degrees. At least. I could see my breath, for Christ's sake. But I wasn't half as worried about the temperature as I was about the girl standing in the middle of the room, holding a least five or six large knives in her hands.

            Mush was the first to move, herding Snipeshooter, Boots, Tumbler, and a couple of other younger newsies toward the door. And just as they made it out Rika let one knife fly.

            Mush screamed as it hurtled toward him, but it ended up pinned in the wall in-between his arm and torso, about a centimeter from ripping into his chest and having torn through the fabric of his shirt. In other words, if he moved an inch, he would end up slashed open in some form or another. 

            Blink immediately made a huge mistake, letting his recklessness take hold and sprinting over to make sure Mush was okay- from his angle, he couldn't see if the knife had hit or not. Rika reached toward him with her hand, and he was dragged backwards across the floor by an invisible force before slamming into her hand.

            "None of you move." She demanded, putting a knife to his throat, "Or you'll have one less newsie selling papers tomorrow. Or…make that two."

            She threw a glance at Dutchy, who was now struggling to breathe- the bunk seemed to have moved again, pressing him even harder into the wall. She said something curtly in Dutch, and he responded very angrily, "_Vuile__ hoer_!"

            She began to laugh, and then the bunk slid even more towards the wall, and Dutchy groaned and hissed, "_Godverdomme_!"

            "Don't call me a whore, _klojo_."

            I saw my opportunity. Mush had pried the knife out of the wall and he now held it in his hand, only a foot from mine. And Rika's attention was concentrated on torturing Dutchy at the moment. I grabbed the knife from him and let it fly, hoping that my aim was as good as my pick pocketing. It went straight at her head, but just as it reached her, she vanished. 

            Mush rushed forward to help Blink up from where he had fallen, and Specs and I ran to the bunk that was holding Dutchy captive, needing help from Kloppman to move it. Dutchy collapsed and could finally breathe again, and Specs helped him sit on another bunk as the temperature slowly got back to normal.

            But we were all at a loss. We couldn't kill her- she was already dead. But she had proven that she was fully capable of killing us. And she could show up anytime, and we had nowhere else to go. Not to mention that Skittery seemed to be the only one she could directly control, therefore, we couldn't untie him. He was her unconditional prisoner, unable to escape as long as she had access to his mind.

            Things seemed hopeless. Absolutely, utterly hopeless.

AN: I love chapters with both funny and serious stuff! Oh, man…I'm gonna remember these two lines forever! Poor Specs, seeing things deeper than they really are…

            Skittery: _I kissed Specs_? Was I really _that_ drunk?

            Specs: I'm gonna ignore that comment… 

Oh, listen! Your muses are telling you to review! And it's _healthy_ to listen to your muses, I promise! *snickers evilly in background*


	5. I Wasn't Cold Anymore

AN: Finally, chapter 5! *Blink!Muse and Skitts!Muse try to make kazoos sound like trumpets**Dakota send them an evil glare* I could just have this ghost bitch kill you all, you know. *They sit down in the corner and behave for once* Okay. I'm going to scare you guys to death in this chapter. Hopefully, anyway. So read on!

Specs

            We didn't get any time to think about what to do. 

            It was just a few minutes later that the room got freezing cold, and Skittery seemed to drop off the deep end. He didn't move, didn't talk, only stared at the floor, letting his hair fall in his eyes. I knew something was about to happen, but the question was, what could we do about it?

            "Skittery…come on, Skitts, talk to me here." Snitch begged, but he got no response. 

            Suddenly I heard a whispering voice, a voice that no one else seemed to hear. It was almost as quiet as a breeze.

            "M'n beminde…"

            Another phrase in Dutch followed, and suddenly Dutchy was dragged backwards by some invisible force, pulled into the washroom at an alarming speed. It was as if he had been tied to the back of a moving carriage.

            I leaped up and ran to the washroom, but the door slammed in my face. I looked at Jack helplessly, and we both tried to open the door.

            "Dutchy! Open the door!" Jack yelled.

            "I can't! I can't!"

            A terrified scream followed, and I couldn't tell if any pain was involved in that scream or not. But that wasn't what scared me most.

            Silence followed. Utter, complete silence from the washroom.

            "Dutchy? Dutchy!" I shrieked, and Jack had to pull me away from the door with help from Itey and Bumlets. I kicked and fought as they pulled me back; I wasn't about to give up when Dutchy was just in the next room. I didn't care about that damn ghost.

            You know how you always expect the adult to take charge in a situation like this? Yeah, right. Kloppman was just as scared and helpless as we were, if not more so, and this was _his _daughter! 

            "Jack, we've gotta do somethin'…" I begged, but Jack didn't have any answers. 

            And quite suddenly, I had an idea.

            I grabbed a dagger from where it had dropped on the floor during her earlier escapade, and I walked to Skittery and cut his ropes. I then pulled the barely conscious boy to his feet, and before anyone could do anything, I put the knife to his throat.

            "Come on." I ordered harshly, dragging him to the window and forcing him to climb out. I was swiftly followed by Mush, Blink, Jack, and Snitch, who made everyone else stay inside. For all they knew, I was murderous.

            And for all I cared, they could go on thinking that.

            I got Skittery up onto the roof, keeping the knife at his throat and pushing him to the edge of the roof.

            "Specs! Wait!" Jack yelled, and I turned to face him without removing the blade.

            "If we get rid of _him, she_ has no ties to this place!" I hissed, not moving from where I stood. I was surprised she hadn't taken control of Skittery yet, considering I was about to murder him.

            "But that's _Skittery_! You can't kill him just because of her!" Snitch said.

            "Watch me."

            I turned back around and pulled the knife back, and then I put my hand on Skittery's back and prepared to push him off. And finally, she took control. Skittery spun around and punched me in the face, and I hit the ground and actually heard the sickening 'crack' as my skull hit the roof. Everything was a blur around me as Mush and Blink jumped forward and grabbed onto Skittery, who was talking frantically in Dutch.

            I forced myself to my feet, and then I grabbed onto Skittery's shoulders as Mush and Blink held him.

            "_What did you do with him?" I demanded, and Skittery's face twisted into a sneer._

            "He's _dead."_

            "I don't believe you."

            He just laughed, and I just let the anger lead me this time. I punched him in the gut, and he doubled over and groaned in pain.

            "What do you want from us?" Jack asked, his jaw clenched. Skittery took a few deep breaths, and then he just collapsed. I felt a cold hand on my shoulder, and I turned around to face Rika herself.

            "I just want to know…why you left me. You could've had everything." She said, the innocence in her voice masking any evil that her appearance gave off.

            "You have to know by now that I'm not Tanner." I said, hoping to get through to her.

            "I loved you. Isn't being sorry enough?" she continued on, ignoring what I had said. I had the feeling that she knew, she just didn't want to believe it. She then stepped past me, to where Mush and Blink had laid Skittery down on the roof. She took Blink's chin in her hand, and he barely concealed his temper as she spoke.

            "And _you…I was just another one night stand to you, wasn't I?"_

            Blink scowled at her. "I never slept with you, you bitch!"

            "You can deny it for all eternity, but it won't change a thing."

            Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, she was gone. I looked around the whole roof, but she was nowhere to be seen.

            "That's it. That's fucking it." I said, and then I climbed back down. Jack followed right behind me, while Mush, Blink, and Snitch stayed behind to get Skittery back inside.

            "Specs, what are you doing? Wait a second!" Jack said, grabbing me by the arm halfway through the bunkroom. The other guys watched as I tore my arm out of his grasp and looked him right in the eye.

            "What do ya want me ta do, Jack? Dutchy's _dead_, Blink and Skittery are probably going to _end up_ dead, and I can't keep running from her!"

            "What are you saying?"

            "I'm gonna give up!"

            Jack stared at me in disbelief, slowly shaking his head. "Ya can't do that. Dutchy…he wouldn't want you to."

            "Yeah, well, he's not around anymore to tell me what he wants. And it's _my fault."_

            With that I walked out of the bunkroom and down the stairs, not caring that Jack was following me, just wanting to get out of this. I stood in the middle of the room downstairs, waiting for her to show herself.

            "I give up! Do you hear me? I give up!" I screamed, and I finally felt that coldness, that evil presence that sent chills down my spine.

            "Specs?!"

            I spun around to face the staircase, and my heart dropped into my feet.

            "Dutchy?!"

            Then everything went black.

Mush

            When we got to the bottom of the stairs, Specs dropped to the floor, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. And at the same time, Blink was out like a light as well. I caught him and lowered him to the floor, shivering in the freezing cold room.

            Dutchy rushed forward and kneeled beside Specs, trying desperately to wake him, but nothing worked. It was almost as if…he was dead. On impulse, I reached down and put my hand right over Blink's mouth, relieved to feel his warm breath on my hand.

            And then something grabbed my from behind, and I was flung against the wall, my head slamming into the wood. Jack turned around and threw a punch over my head, but I had no idea what he was punching at. I didn't see a thing.

            Then I remembered something. When she was controlling Skittery…on the roof…she had to leave his body when Specs hit him. Inside the lodging house, she disappeared before the knife Snitch threw even hit her. Did that mean…outside the lodging house…she might not have immunity?

            I jumped up and scooped Blink up into my arms, scared at how limp he was. I then made a run for the door, kicking it open and stepping outside. I laid Blink down in the dirt, and then I yelled to Jack, "Find me a weapon, and bring Skittery out here! Fast!"

            Jack looked confused, but he ran up the stairs, returning just a minute later with the dagger Specs had used on the roof, and with Snitch and Race carrying Skittery. So far, so good- I didn't know why she wasn't attacking yet, but it was to my advantage.

            I took the dagger from Jack and had them lay Skittery next to Blink, and then I waited. I almost thought she had caught on when Skittery's eyes fluttered open, and he sat up, holding his head.

            As soon as the first Dutch word left his lips I slammed the handle of the dagger down on the back of his neck, and he pitched forward, and I was actually relieved when he yelled a few curse words in English. That was, for once, exactly what I wanted to hear.

            And I was prepared when Rika herself appeared.

            I went at her with the dagger and she grabbed my wrists, holding me back with surprising strength. And before I knew it, I was on the ground and she had wrenched the blade away from me, holding it up and ready to strike.

            Suddenly her face was overtaken by a look of utter agony.

"Tanner…_I loved you…" She said weakly, and then she shuddered and dropped down onto me. I got a nice, long look at the dagger that was buried in her back, one of her own daggers, before I rolled her off me. I looked up to see who had just saved my life…_

            And there was no one there. Jack was standing in the doorway, but he wasn't close enough to have done it.

            "Mush! You…are you alright?!" he asked, and I looked beside me, and Rika was gone as well. Not even a drop of blood remained.

            As Jack helped me up and Blink finally woke up, I looked inside and saw that Specs was awake as well. Snitch rushed past me and dropped to his knees in the dirt beside Skittery, who was still muttering about the various ways in which he was going to kill me when his head was reattached.

            But the biggest shock? The factor that really told me everything was alright again?

            I wasn't cold anymore.

AN: Ha! Finally done! Wahoo! Okay…thanks to all reviewers…if you haven't reviewed yet, hell, it's the last chapter! Make me feel like it was worth my time, people!

Oh, and I have a brand new fic idea for after Big Brother. And this one is just as farfetched, but I think you guys are going to like it…another one with lots of slashy goodness!                                          


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